An Overactive Imagination
by Arizima
Summary: PG for the usual stuff. Self-Insert fic; if you do not like self-inserts, do not read, thank you. Summary: A girl (the author) is somehow sucked into the Pokémon world, with no apparent way to get back; she is trapped. Chapter 5 uploaded!
1. Chapter One

An Overactive Imagination

By Arizima

Chapter One

           AN: This is a self-insertion, new-league fic. Self-insertion means that the author is a character in the story, in this case, the main-main character. Self-insertion does NOT mean Mary-Sue, however. After all, can you honestly tell me, as a Pokémon fan, that you haven't dreamed of going to the Pokémon world yourself? I've given you ample warning, don't give me pointless flames because this is self-insertion. If you do, may the curse of being the only boy/girl in a class full of immature girls/ immature boys (that throw stuff at you too, but I'm really just griping now ^^;;;) be upon you. (About the class thing—Well, I haven't met any adults who give pointless flames. I tip my imaginary hat to you guys.) That point said, I think it's time to begin the story.

Normal words Narrative (It's all in Past Tense though)

"Quotes" Speech

Carrots        Narrative Thought (Yes, the main character thinks in English)

I blinked, confused. Where was I? This certainly wasn't my bed. I twisted my neck and opened my eyes, expecting to see the fuzzy, red, glowing rectangles of my digital clock. Instead, I saw a non-fuzzy back of a couch.

HUH!?

I was up like a shot, looking this way and that. I was in a living room or den of some kind, I could tell that much. Where are my glasses!? I frantically patted my clothes until I found them hanging on the front of my T-shirt. I hurriedly put them on, and then stopped. 

When did my glasses get so clean?

The thought still hanging in the back of my mind, I looked around at the room I was in. There was the couch I was sitting on, a TV, a doorway, a fireplace slightly to the right of the TV, a bookshelf to the other side, and a picture of some kind of horned seal above me. I got the oddest feeling of déjà vu, like I've been here before, or saw a picture of it, or something, but then again, I get that a lot. I glanced across the room again, startled. The walls, the bookshelves— they were too perfect. It was like some kind of anime land, only in three dimensions. I raised my hand to my face, just to make sure. My fingerprints had disappeared, and my cross line and life line had been simplified, as had my "mount of Venus". Instead of pink around the palm side of the knuckles and little veins running through my finger joints, my skin had become a uniform pale color. And it just looked like an anime hand, again only in three dimensions. 

When I glanced up again, I got a weird feeling that I had seen that horned seal somewhere. I stood on the couch to bring it to eye level, then stopped. It was, undeniably, a Dewgong. 

How is that possible!? Those don't exist!

I sat back down on the couch quickly. Where was I? An anime land, my hands have been anime-ified and probably the rest of me too, with photograph-quality pictures of imaginary creatures? I heard a scuffling just in front of my feet, and looked down. There, on the floor, stood a tiny round, light blue creature with huge, cute anime eyes, four little fins to serve as hands and feet, and a small, half-circle smile. I recognized it on the spot, though it was much better quality than I had ever drawn it.

Purin? A water type in Cirto, evolves into Brinae through love! How is that possible? I made Purin up! No one knows about it but me!

" Pu? Pu purin rin?" It said confusedly. I backed into the corner of the couch.

" Now don't you come near me! Stay away from me, you hear? Stay away!" I yelped. The Purin, of course, hopped up on the couch and sniffed my socked foot. " I SAID STAY AWAY!" The Purin's mouth broke into a wide grin and it jumped into my lap.

" Purin!" It sat down, then turned its head up to look at me with those huge, cute eyes.

Oh, no, not the puppy look! Anything but the puppy look! I turned away and brainstormed for a reason that this would be happening. Ah hah! A dream! Of course! I smiled and closed my eyes, expecting to be transported out of my dream at once. After all, that's what happened the last time I realized that I was dreaming. 

 "Hah! I'm dreaming! You can't hurt me!" I remained still and calm for a moment, then opened one eye. The Purin was now standing in my lap, staring at my face with an expression of worry. Obviously…. I wasn't dreaming. At this point, there was only one thing to do. I slouched and cried out, " Aw, NUTS!" 

" Pu purin?" The Purin was sitting on my shoulder now. An idea suddenly struck me, and I took the Purin's outstretched fin in three of my fingers.

" Purin, could you show me to the bathroom?" 

The bathroom has a mirror. I can see how much I've been anime-ified. The bathroom has privacy. I can think some more and take a nap if need be. 

The Purin nodded and jumped off my shoulder onto the floor. It gave me a 'follow me' gesture with its fin, and rushed off out of the doorway and down the hall to its right. I followed it, going as fast as I could and still be quiet, and it led me to a door.

" Is this it?" The Purin nodded. " Thanks, little guy." I walked in, flicked on the light, and closed the door. It was an average bathroom, in fact it looked a lot like mine only in purple and blue instead of red and gold, but most importantly, it had a large mirror over the sink. 

I examined myself, and all and all, I was pleased with my anime-character look. My teenage zits and the constellation of blackheads across my nose had vanished. My eyes, which were weird in real life because of their color (jade green on the outside layer, apple green on the inside layer, with streaks/spots of brown, amber, black, silver, and dark green), were even weirder, because all those weird streaks and spots had become larger and more noticeable—because my eyes took up like 1/3 of my head. My hair, which had been dark reddish-brown with random, frequent strands of light brown and blonde (with a white hair every now and then—If I keep this up, I'll get lumbago at age sixteen or something) was now just plain dark auburn. My glasses were now round instead of the weird shape they had been before. Plus, the stitches on my shirt, jeans, and socks had been simplified. 

I happily headed back outside to the hall, when I heard an angry feminine voice call out,

" FREEZE!"

AN: Whoa-oh! I don't sound too much like a Mary-Sue, do I? I'd better go take a test…. Anybody know any good MS tests for Self-Insert characters?

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related indicia, except for indicia created by me, belong to their respective owners.

Claimer: I, Cirto, Labto, Salto, all original characters and Pokémon, and anything else I created, belong to me. To use them, you must not make money off of it, get my permission (yakkety@hotmail.com), and give me credit. Thank you.


	2. Chapter Two

An Overactive Imagination

By Arizima

Chapter Two

            AN: Well, the story continues, I guess. Heh.

            Normal words  Narrative (It's all in Past Tense though)

            "Quotes"          Speech

Carrots        Narrative Thought (Yes, the main character thinks in English)

"FREEZE!"

I spun around to see a tall woman with chin-length dark blue hair wearing a sweatshirt that fell past her knees. In her hand was a Pokéball. I stared at her, confused. Her face was familiar for some reason, too, but I couldn't see her very well because she was in the dark.

" I said, freeze!" She insisted.

" I'm frozen already!" I retorted, then clasped my hand over my mouth. " Sorry."

" Hands in the air, or I sic my Golduck on you, thief!" As I was raising my arms, the Purin by my side ran up to her.

" Pu pu, purin purin pu!" She looked down at the Purin, then lowered her arm holding the Pokéball. 

" She's not a thief, huh? Sure looks like one, sneaking into my home in the middle of the night. She might of reached the lab before I got to her, then what, Bubbles?" 

" Pu PU! Purin ri!" the Purin retorted back.

" Hey, lady, if I were a thief, you really think I'd come here in a T-shirt, jeans, and socks, with no shoes, gloves, or bag to store anything in?" The woman blinked.

" What do gloves have to do with stealing?"

" Fingerprints, duh!" The woman stepped into the bathroom light, and then I recognized her.

" Cypress? Professor Angela Cypress?" I whispered. Professor Cypress seemed startled.

" Yes, my name is Angela Cypress, and yes, I'm a professor, but how do you know that?"

Wow! One—no, two of my characters have come alive! I shook my head.

" You wouldn't believe me. You'd think I was crazy, or I was lying."

" You don't know that." Professor Cypress— I know I created her, but that's what I call her— said hesitantly, pausing to add, " You certainly have an odd accent."

" I've lived in Texas for almost nine years, so sue me!" I said hotly, then clasped my hand over my mouth again.

That acting-without-thinking thing is gonna kill me someday.

" Texas? Where in the world is that?" I sighed. I was gonna have a lot of explaining to do.

" I'd tell you, but I'd need some way to let you know I wasn't lying, 'cause you wouldn't believe me otherwise."

" Well, that's easy. My Golduck here can keep you from lying." She said, holding up her Pokéball. " Let's go to the living room, huh?" I nodded and turned around as the Purin waved goodbye with its tiny fin, then ran off.

When we got to the living room and were both on the couch, Professor Cypress threw the Pokéball up in the air, saying, 

" Go, Golduck." A beam of red energy shot out of the button and became a Golduck. 

Wow, cool! I wonder how a Pokéball works? Wait a second, this is no time to be wondering about that.

" Golduck?" 

" Golduck, make sure she doesn't lie." Golduck nodded and then stared into my eyes, its own eyes glowing red. I guess it did it, but I don't feel any different.

I'll lie and see if it works. I tried to form my mouth around the words 'I'm a boy', but " Flipperty gibberdy booie groo!" came out instead. 

" Heh, sorry, just making sure I can't lie." I coughed and cleared my throat, and then began my story. " About a year and a half ago or something, a fanfiction author held a "Dark-type legendary Pokémon" contest to be in her story…. Or something along those lines. I entered it and called mine Delymer. Eventually, I changed his name to Delmyr." 

" Delmyr? The Dark Guardian in Labto?" I nodded.

" The same. The reason that Labto was created was because Delmyr needed a place to live. Once the country was created, I created more new Pokémon, gyms, characters, the works. A while after that, I noticed that the south and west borders of Labto were really straight. So, I decided to make two new countries to fill the gap and finish the island… continent… thing. So, that's how I created Salto and Cirto. I created you, Professor Cypress. I created you, Professor Mesquite, Professor Holly, all twenty-four gym leaders, all the Pokémon that were discovered in Labto, Salto, or Cirto… the works."

" But how did you know about Pokémon in the first place? You mentioned a _fan_fiction author."

" Well, there's this animated television show, made in Japan, called Poketto Monstaa, or Pocket Monsters. It got dubbed in the US, the country where I live, as Pokémon. Kanto, Johto, and the Orange Islands were created by the company that made Pokémon. They created the characters and first 251 Pokémon, too." Professor Cypress slouched in her seat, looking like there had been a grenade dropped on her head.

" You must think I'm crazy. After all, if I _think_ this is the truth, than Golduck wouldn't be able to make me not lie, would he? My own school district thinks I'm schizotypal just because I heard a balsa wood stick talk to me in my mind. But it happened only once!" Professor Cypress stared at me with a weird expression on her face. So did Golduck. " What'd I say?"

" If you were really schizotypal, I think you'd be denying it, wouldn't you?"

" Yeah, I guess so. I think the balsa wood stick talking to me was my overactive imagination. Being here might be a result of my overactive imagination." 

" You're calling me a figment? Not real? I assure you, I _am_ real."

" Maybe you just _think_ you're real." She smirked at me.

" I think, therefore I am." I hummed over this for a moment.

" D'oh!"

" Golduck duck?"

" Well, I'm not sure if I quite believe you, but there's nothing to disprove you."

" So I'm like a theory, heh? I can't be proven or disproven?"

" I'm not sure proven and disproven are the words, but yes." I nodded, and then an idea flashed across my mind.

" Hey, if I'm gonna be stuck here, away from home, in the Pokémon World, then I'm gonna make the best of it!" 

" What do you mean?" Professor Cypress asked incredulously. 

" I mean that I'm gonna be a trainer!" My companion suddenly coughed. " What? I can do it! I know everything I need to know!"

" It's not that simple. You see, something must have happened after you supposedly created Cirto, because we have laws about training here. You see, every year, we have about a month for young trainers-to-be to take an exam about Pokémon and survival skills. You must be at least ten years old to take the exam. If you pass, you get a trainer's license, Pokémon, Pokédex, a certain amount of money as decided by the Cirto government, everything you need to be a trainer. Without a trainer's license, you can't battle Gym Leaders, enter any leagues, or catch more than one Pokémon. If you want to be a trainer, you'll have to take the exam."

" I can do it! Just teach me some survival skills and I'm ready!"

" I'm not saying you can't do it, but…."

" But?" I asked impatiently.

" Most Pokémon trainers prepare for the exam for all of their educational lives, some even longer. And the time to take the exam ends in six days, a week counting tonight. I have five days to teach you what most people learn over the course of five _years_. You'll have to take the exam on the last day, which means you won't have a chance to retake it until next year. I can certainly teach you what you need to know, but can you learn it?" I pondered it for a moment.

            " Yeah!"

            " Then you'd better get some sleep. You'll have to sleep on the couch tonight, because I don't have a guest room prepared. Sleep well, I'm going to wake you up at dawn. Golduck, return!" The Pokémon disappeared into its Pokéball, and Professor Cypress took a large blanket-thing off the back of the couch and handed it to me. She was about to leave the room, but then she stopped in the doorway and turned.

            " Sweet dreams, kid."

AN: And now you know…. The rest of the story. Or something. LOL.

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related indicia, except for indicia created by me, belong to their respective owners.

Claimer: I, Cirto, Labto, Salto, all original characters and Pokémon, and anything else I created, belong to me. To use them, you must not make money off of it, get my permission (yakkety@hotmail.com), and give me credit. Thank you.


	3. Chapter Three

An Overactive Imagination

By Arizima

Chapter Three

            AN: Wow, I can't believe it. I'm writing chapter three, and still no reviews. Ah, well. *sigh* Oh, yes, I finally remembered to put my accent in my dialogue. You may find it annoying, but I'm trying to have an honest self-insertion, here. They way I speak is WAY different from the way I type. Heh. ^_^;;;

            Normal words  Narrative (It's all in Past Tense though)

            "Quotes"          Speech

Carrots        Narrative Thought (Yes, the main character thinks in English)

            That morning, I was awakened by gray light coming in through the doorway. I struggled to remember how long I had slept, decided it wasn't enough, and pulled the blanket over my head. After a few minutes of peace, I heard footsteps, and a shadow fell over the blanket. A hand snatched the blanket away from my face.

            " Rise and shine, little one!" called Professor Cypress cheerily. Too cheerily.

            " First kid, now little one. Why don'tcha call me by my name?" I said grumpily.

            " You never _told_ me your name." I thought over it a moment.

            " D'oh."

            " Your name is D'oh? I find that hard to believe." I quickly waved my hands.

            " No! My name is Chrissy! Not D'oh!"

            I can't have everyone calling me D'oh for the whole time I'm here!

            " Well, Chrissy, why don't you go take a bath, and I'll wash your clothes?" I nodded.

            " Okay."

            " Well, you know where the bathroom is, I'll come in later to collect your clothes." I nodded again and headed out past her to the bathroom from last night.

            Pretty soon I had the bathwater running, and I heard a knock at the door, which opened a crack. I jumped behind the shower curtain.

            " Chrissy? Can you hand me your clothes? I won't look, I promise." I was about to nod, but then realized that she couldn't see me.

            " Okay!" I wrapped a towel around myself, grabbed my clothes off the floor, and handed my clothes to her through the door.

            " Thanks. I'll let you wear some of my son's old clothes when you come out. Sorry, I don't have any girl clothes in your size."

            " Um, the shirt I was wearin' came outta the Boy's Department. I don't mind."

            " Oh."

            " Now can ya gimme some privacy? I'm takin' a bath, here!"

            " Okay, okay!" The door snapped shut and I guess she left. I sighed and finally got to take my bath.

            Of course, when I was done, she hadn't come back yet.

            " HEY, PROFESSOR CYPRESS! WHERE ARE YA?" I yelled impatiently. I heard footsteps and the door opened a crack again. A hand shot through, holding a lime green T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and necessarywear. 

            " You're a very impatient child, aren't you?"

            " Yeah. Sorry, it's a curse."

            " _Fine._ Tell me when you're coming out." She sounded a bit irritated. I dressed quickly and came out. " Great. Well, once you get something in your stomach, get ready for some serious learning."

            " Hey, if I can learn Debate with no prior experience, I can certainly learn about somethin' I've been theorizin' and wonderin' about since fifth grade."

            " How old are you, anyway?"

            " Fourteen. Ninth Grade. Freshman— er, freshwoman. Why?"

            " Fourteen? You look like you're twelve."

            " Why, 'cause I'm short and scrawny and entered puberty late because my fat levels were too low?" Professor Cypress blinked rapidly.

            " Er, yes."         

" Don't worry, everybody says that."

" Um, okay." She sighed and guided me to her kitchen, which actually had windows. I could see that we were in the middle of a lake, with a metal bridge leading to the shore. Just like I imagined it. Once we had eaten— Professor Cypress's cooking skills can be compared to that of my school cafeteria— she's good at a few things, but everything else sucks. Professor Cypress came back from somewhere she had been for a few minutes, carrying several thick books. Welp, time to begin.

You know how they say that time flies when you're being happy? Well, learning makes me happy. So I must have been very happy that week, because it was almost a blur. Hey, wasn't that like a line from the Merlin movie? Whoa.

It was the last day before I had to take my exam, and Professor Cypress had decided to give me a break because I had done so well— or so I thought. Instead, while I was on the couch watching TV (some sitcom involving Pokémon Trainers and a crazy Ditto that got everybody in trouble with its Transform technique, called "Everybody Loves Ditto—Or Not.") she came in, tossing me a pair of slip-ons and some socks, which I recognized as the pair I was wearing the night I had come here.

" Put these on."

" Huh? Why?" I asked. I hate it when people give me orders for no apparent reason.

" Well, you can't expect to go on your journey in borrowed clothes, can you?" she said reasonably. Oh.

" How do ya know I'll pass the exam?" Professor Cypress leaned against the doorway.

" You're one of the best students I've ever had. I'm sure that—"

" Ya mean one of the best students yeh've had for my age."

" No, I mean best student." She said shortly. " Anyway, from what you've told me, you test well. You should have no problem passing."

" Fine. Just to letcha know, I hate shoppin'. I shop like a guy. Hunt the bear, kill the bear, bring the bear home, or spend the day gatherin' the best berries. The difference between a hunter and a gatherer."

" Huh?" I sighed.

" For a professor of my own creation, ya ain't all that smart."

" What's a bear? The only non-Pokémon animals that live in Cirto are ones we eat." I shoved my socked feet into the shoes.

" Let's go, okay?" Professor Cypress nodded curtly. We headed out across the metal bridge from the lab to town (Futir town doesn't actually contain the lab; it's on the outskirts), and when we finally reached the store, I was surprised.

" Kohl's? Ya have Kohl's?"

" Yes, is that odd?"

" There're Kohl's in MY world!"

" Well, if you DID create Cirto, then I guess the department stores of your world got crossed over. Now, come on." Professor Cypress dragged me by my sleeve into the freezing, air-conditioned building, which was a lot bigger than the Kohl's at home, and had a lot more stuff.

For the next hour, I was administered shopping torture, although we did find some neat stuff. Professor Cypress paid for it all, of course. I didn't have a cent to my name; I don't carry money in my pockets when I go to bed. When we got back to the lab, it was time for dinner. I was very exhausted for some reason. 

Oh, wait. Shopping torture. Duh. As soon as my plate was cleared, I headed down the hall to take a bath and go to the now-prepared guest room to go to bed.

            AN: Well, sorry that nothing really happened, but it was getting long enough. Heh, nothing more to say. Bye.

            Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related insignia, except for the insignia I created, belong to their respective owners. Please do not sue me, lawyers of Nintendo and associated companies, for I am just having fun and am not making any money. In fact, fanfiction may make you more money. Think about it— one of your fans writes a fanfic, and sends all their non-fan friends to read it. They become interested in the show, the game, the cards, whatever— and ding, ding, you get more money!  Thank you.

            Claimer: Myself, and anything I have created, belong to me and me alone. To use them, you must meet three prerequisites: 

            1: You ask permission. (yakkety@hotmail.com)

            2: You give me credit.

            3: You don't make any money.

            Thank you. Bye! ^_^


	4. Chapter Four

An Overactive Imagination

By Arizima

Chapter Four

            AN: Okay, in this one, more stuff will happen, so it's gonna be long. Also, in this chapter, my last name is mentioned, so I will mark it out with *****, ok?

            Normal words  Narrative (It's all in Past Tense though)

            "Quotes"          Speech

            Carrots        Narrative Thought (Yes, the main character thinks in English. Most of the time.)

            When I came down to breakfast the next morning, Professor Cypress seemed very tense.

            " What is it?" I asked nervously, after chugging half of my orange juice.

            " Well, there has to be a league official present at your exam, who is also the one who grades it. I got one to supervise your exam after you went to bed last night, and…."

            " And?"

            " You were assigned Jordan Greider. The strictest of all the league officials that grade exams."

            " Oh. No biggie." She arched an eyebrow at me.

            " What do you mean, 'no biggie'? You've only had five days to prepare for this, and further more, you have the strictest grader possible!"

            " Well, I'll be really careful, okay?"

            " Furthermore, the test is timed. If your pencil isn't on the desk and your hands on your lap by the time it ends, he'll fail you."

            " That's okay. I test fast and well, even when I'm being careful." I said, starting to brag.

            After all, my intelligence's the only thing I have to be proud of, and I'm darn proud of it. Wait, I created all these characters and stuff…. Okay, so my creativity and intelligence are the only two things I have to be proud of, and I'm darn proud of them.

            " I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into…." I shrugged and started to wolf down my cereal. Then, Professor Cypress sent me off to the couch in the living room to digest or something. Soon after, I heard her start to pace up and down the hall, mumbling to herself. I was getting pretty sleepy, when the sound of the doorbell resonated throughout the house. Professor Cypress rushed off to the front hall. 

            " Oh, Mr. Greider, it's wonderful that you've arrived!" I heard a male voice say curtly,

            " Indeed. Where is the child?"

            " She's waiting in the living—"

            " Hardly a good place to take a test. How about your lab?"

            " Of course, Mr. Greider." 

Hang on a sec…. Mr. Greider? Is he related to my CX partner!?

            " Chrissy, come here!"

            " You call her by her first name? Hardly proper discipline, I would think. You're not related." I hopped off the couch and walked over to the front hall. Standing with Professor Cypress was a brown-and-gray-haired, slightly wrinkly dude, standing stiffly and wearing a suit. He was carrying a briefcase, too. 

            " Hiya." I said, plastering a smile on my face. Mr. Greider turned his stone gaze on me, scowling at the orange juice stain on my shirt.

            " 'Hiya'? Is that how you address a league official?" I heard him mutter under his breath, " Kids these days…." I got the hint at once.

            " My apologies, sir. I'm sure you don't really want to be here, so can you just give me my exam and get it over with?"

            " Indeed. Professor Cypress, lead the way." Professor Cypress gulped, nodded, and headed off down the hall toward the bathroom. She stepped into a closet or something next to it, but when I came in, I saw that it wasn't really a closet. It was a little room next to an elevator with glass (clear plastic?) doors.

            Aw, man. I hate elevators. Still, I should of expected this. I DID design the darn thing, after all. I sighed, kept my mouth shut, and went into the elevator, grabbing the handrail at once. Mr. Greider stepped in, and then Professor Cypress pushed one of the three buttons in the elevator; the one with the green equilateral triangle pointing down. There was also a button with a green equilateral triangle pointed up, and one with the word "EMERGENCY" in international orange on it. The elevator began going down as my stomach started its weird-feeling thing. The elevator stopped after a couple of minutes, went up a few inches, and the doors opened. There was a long hallway which led to a large room with a pool in it on one end, and a bunch of laboratory-looking doors. Kinda like the ones in the movie _Jurassic Park_. 

            " Well, here we are," Professor Cypress said. 

            " Great. Where do I take my test?"

            " Over here should be good. It's a room I've prepared for trainers to take the league exam." Professor Cypress went over to a door, and opened it. The room inside was about the size of a classroom, with a few normal-sized desks, some chairs, and a big desk. I went over and sat in the front-most desk. I just feel normal when I'm sitting in the front.

            " Well then, you may go sit over there in your desk. I'll take it from here." Mr. Greider sat down in the desk behind me and opened his briefcase. He handed me one of those "state-test" packets, a piece of lined paper with some words at the top, a scantron, two number two pencils, and a white nylon eraser (which is my favorite type of eraser EVER). He also put an electronic timer on his desk.

            " You have one hour and thirty minutes to take the multiple choice section of the exam. You may write on the exam packet, but not on the exam answer sheet. You may open the exam packet by running your pencil along the seal. If you decide to change an answer, erase it thoroughly. Mark only one answer for each question. You may begin." I heard an electronic beep, then opened my packet. I began to work my way through a bunch of multiple-choice questions about Pokémon, survival skills, league rules, Pokéballs, and other stuff like that. Really easy stuff. I would have had it done in forty minutes, probably, if I wasn't being so careful. But I finished it in an hour, then I did something I'd never done before—check through my work. I was almost done, when Mr. Greider said,

            " You have one minute to close the packet, put down your pencil, turn your answer sheet over, and put your hands in your lap before the test is over. If these requirements are not met, this test will not be valid." I growled softly under my breath, but obeyed him. The second my hands touched my jeans, I heard a bunch of electronic beeps, then another beep of a different tone which stopped them. I glanced over at Professor Cypress. She had a book balanced in her lap, and was looking over at me and Mr. Greider. He collected my packet and scantron and sat them on his desk. "Very good. You will have a fifteen minute rest period." I sighed and collapsed in my chair, leaning my head against my arms on the desk. The minutes flew by all too soon, for now he was saying something. I was kinda zoned out, but I heard most of what he was saying. 

" …turn to the essay portion of the test. If you need definitions of the words in the resolution, say so now. This is the only help you will get. You only have the front and back of your paper to write on. It would be preferable, that, if you see that you are running out of room, to conclude your essay. You have one hour and thirty minutes. You may begin." I heard another electronic beep, grabbed the other pencil, and started reading the resolution.

            _" Resolve: When in conflict, a Pokémon's strength should be valued above a Pokémon's happiness. Please state whether you agree with the resolution or not, and state your reasons. You may only agree or disagree;  you cannot write both," _I whispered to myself.

            Oh, gee, that's easy. I've had a resolution like that in Debate class…. Only it was academic freedom and community standards. Heh. I shook my head and started trying to think of an introduction. Ah hah!

            _" I disagree with the resolution because…" _I began verbally as I wrote it, then, I was on a roll. My handwriting got smaller and smaller because I realized I had more to say, but I did eventually finish. 

I sighed and cracked my knuckles a few times, then shook my hands. 

I hate writer's cramp. I relaxed against the back of my chair.

" Are you finished already? You still have twenty minutes left." Mr. Greider said.

" No, I'm gonna read it over again." I glanced over at Professor Cypress. Her gaze was intently focused on her book, but her eyes weren't moving. What, is she nervous or something? Why? Does she think it's an insult to her teaching abilities if I don't pass? I shrugged to myself and read over my essay a few times, until I heard an electronic beep.

" You now have thirty seconds to finish your current thought." 

What current thought? I'm done! I sighed and handed him my stuff. He picked up my essay and my scantron, and took them over to Professor Cypress's desk.

" Excuse me, Professor Cypress, but I must grade this. May I use your computer?" She nodded and walked over by me, slipping her book in a pocket on her lab coat. " Well, you will be informed of your results within the hour. Until then, please do not leave the lab, but please do leave the room." We left, and Professor Cypress grabbed my arm and led me toward the "pool room". She had me sit down on a bench thing, and sat down next to me.

" Well, what did you think of the test?"

" It was easy. I don't see what the big deal is, but then again, I'm really good at state tests, too."

" _Easy?_ You understand that most people have trouble with that test?"

" Um, yeah, I guess. Hey, intelligence is my strong point." I shrugged, sounding to sound humble and modest but failing miserably.

" Indeed."

" Hey, that's Mr. Greider's trademark word!" She blinked.

" What do you mean, 'trade—"

" Oh, never mind. No one ever laughs at my jokes. I'm going to the bathroom. Where is it?"

" There's a bathroom just over there." Professor Cypress pointed toward a door near the hall. I nodded, went, and came back. No need to make a big deal of going to the bathroom. I went over to the edge of the pool, and looked down. There were a bunch of Water Pokémon swimming around happily. Some were napping, too. There were shutter things on the walls around me, I guessed they hid the water outside the windows. I sighed and sat down next to the pool, staring off into space. You know, when you're half-staring, and you can see, but you don't really see anything?

" Chrissy, are you okay?" Professor Cypress asked, after a few minutes.

" Yeah, I just zoned out." I said, snapping back into reality. I heard footsteps, and then, Mr. Greider was standing in the doorway.

" Congratulations, Ms. *****. You've passed your exam and will receive your license when you start your journey tomorrow."

How'd he know my last name? Oh, wait, I filled it out on the packet and the scantron. 

" Oh. Well, my expectations have been met, then. What's my exact grade?" I said, glad to not be disappointed, and also glad not to be stuck in this lab for a year until I could take the exam again.

" Ninety-eight percent. I'll have to take a picture of you, now, for your license."

" Ninety-eight percent!?" Professor Cypress said, her face looking like a mix of ecstasy and shock.

" Yes. She was one hundred percent correct on the scantron, and ninety-six percent acceptable on the essay. That averages to ninety-eight percent."

" COOL!" I cried.

" If you'll stand against the wall, I can take your picture, send it to the league, and we can get this over with." I nodded, and went over to lean against the wall. Mr. Greider raised the digital camera to his eye.

" One, two, three. Okay." He said as the flash went off, and I rubbed my eyes to get the spots floating around in front of them to go away. He headed back to the testing room, and Professor Cypress and I followed him.

" You know, that ninety-eight percent makes you the highest score that Futir town's had for three years. Additionally, you'll get to pick your Pokémon first tomorrow." She whispered to me.

" Oh, well, that's good." I said as Mr. Greider hooked up a cord on the camera to the USB port on Professor Cypress's computer. He clicked and typed some, and then disconnected the camera.

" Right, can we go back up now?" I said, and suddenly, my stomach gave a very odd growl. " Eh, I think it's time for lunch or something."

" Very well." He headed out of the room and to the elevator. When we were all in, Professor Cypress pushed the 'UP' button. I clung to the handrail until we got there, and then hopped out at once.

" Well, then, Ms. *****, your license will be mailed to Professor Cypress by tomorrow morning, in time for your journey. I wish you luck. Goodbye." With that, he headed for the front door, and left. Professor Cypress and I looked at each other for a few moments.

" Well, now what do we do?" I asked. Suddenly, Professor Cypress stuck out her hand. I shook it.

" Congratulations, Chrissy. You told me you could do it, and I guess you were right." She said.

" Oh, um, well, thanks. Can we get lunch now?" She smiled. 

" Sure. Since you did so well on the test, I think we'll have a treat. Is pizza alright?"

" PIZZA!? Okay!" I yelped happily. Professor Cypress smirked to herself, asked what toppings I wanted, and headed for the kitchen to make the call. I paced back and forth, waiting for the pizza (er, pizzas) to arrive. The doorbell rang, and I opened it to see a guy holding a big cloth box thing with the logo of…. _Domino's_? 

Why do they have Domino's in the Pokémon world? I wondered. Instead, I yelled,

" Professor Cypress! Pizza's here!" I smiled apologetically at the guy. Professor Cypress rushed out, the guy gave her the pizzas, and she handed him some weird-looking coins while I sat on a chair in the hallway. Eventually, she thanked him and closed the door, and he headed out across the bridge. 

" Here we go. Come on, to the kitchen." We soon we settled in, and I was munching on a slice of cheese pizza while Professor Cypress munched on a slice of pizza, not quite with "everything on it." When we were done, we put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Just then, I realized something.

" Hey, Professor? Thanks. When I first popped up here, ya listened to an unbelievable story, took me in, and helped me become a trainer and all that stuff. You're a nicer person than I madeja out to be." 

" I, er, well, thanks. Come on, you need to pack." I nodded, and Professor Cypress went over to her room, soon coming back with a lavender backpack that was pretty big, as well as a bright red sleeping bag.

" Go get some clothes and things from your room. I'll pack some food and other things for you." She said, as she tied the sleeping bag to the top of the backpack. I went over to the guest room and grabbed some clothes and grooming accessories (y'know, brush, shampoo, soap, the works) that Professor Cypress had bought me. I also grabbed a towel and a white baseball cap, just in case, and brought them over to the living room where I had started out in the this crazy world.

" You really need that much clothes? You just need one set for each season." Professor Cypress said when she saw my huge bundle.

" In my world, we change clothes everyday, I don't know about you,"

" Well, in this world, there are microscopic chips sewn in clothes designed for trainers that store dry, very efficient, antibacterial soap, which release the soap when they detect that you've taken it off over an hour ago. It's as good as washing the shirt, and quicker for trainers."

" Oh." Professor Cypress sighed. 

" Pick out a t-shirt, a vest or jacket, a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shorts, you know, one of each." I nodded and sorted them out. I had to be careful, these were the clothes I was going to be wearing every day. Eventually, I chose a t-shirt that was green on the top and blue on the bottom, separated by a thin, black zigzag line, another bright red shirt, an orange vest (kinda like the one Brock wears, except his is green), some jeans, shorts, and a silver-colored turtleneck, as well as "special" clothes and necessaryclothes.

" There. I'm gonna wear those tomorrow," I said, pointing to the green/blue t-shirt, the vest, and the jeans. 

" Nice choice." Professor Cypress pointed to a small pile of those just-add-water meals. " There's your food until you get some more. I got you some fruit and vegetables too, though, and some Pokéchow." She put those in the biggest pocket, along with most of my clothes. She put my special clothes, some stuff that helps to make food, and grooming accessories in the second pocket, and then… er, "survival stuff" in the third pocket. Then, she pointed to these weird "net" things on either side of the now bulky backpack.

" Those are for carrying water bottles. I'll help you get some tomorrow morning, fresh out of the refrigerator." I nodded. " The last pocket will carry anything you want to keep in there. Pokéballs, your Pokédex, your debit card, anything you want."

" Debit card?"

" Yes, debit card. It's actually called a trainer's debit card, but it just holds your money, when you get one, that is. The league will give you some money, too."

" Neatsies."

" 'Neatsies'?" Professor Cypress said skeptically.

" Sorry. Wouldja prefer 'Coolio'? Or 'Kewl'?"

" Fine, whatever." She said, exasperated with me. I sighed back, and lifted the backpack on my shoulders. Surprisingly, it wasn't too heavy. About the same weight as a backpack with a binder and a textbook in it. I put it down and looked through the third pocket, and saw some weird-looking thermometer thing in it. 

" Hey, what's this?" I asked, pulling it out.

" It's a fire thermometer. It measures the temperature of a fire, so you can follow the directions when you cook food."

" They have campfire directions?"

" Yes. The particular brand of dehydrated food I gave you was a brand name called "Travel Buffet." Companies make food especially designed to be easy to cook while traveling. Most trainers can't afford to travel in an RV, can they?"

" Nope, I guess not." I picked up my backpack again. " Is that everything I need?"

" I hope so."

" So, who else is starting their journey tomorrow?"

" Seventeen other trainers." 

" Seventeen!?" I gasped.

" Yes. Luckily, I have seven of each type of Starter Pokémon, which adds up to twenty-one, so everyone should be able to get the Starter they want. Oh, you need to know what the Starters are, don't you?"

" No, they're Burkey, Otta, and… Sedlaf? Weedni?" I forgot the Grass starter's name, I've changed it so much….

" Voilaef." 

" Oh, okay. Well, I'm gonna go put my backpack up and chill for a while."

" Well, would you like a little fresh air? There's a park near the lake, you know." I stopped. 

" Does it have a children's recreational facility?"

" Children's recrea…. Oh, you mean playground? Of course. A big one." 

" YAY!" I ran to the guest room, unceremoniously dropped my backpack on the bed, and ran back. " Where is it? Where is it!?" I said, running in place. Professor Cypress laughed.

" Hold your Ponytas, I'll come with you," she said, heading for the door.

AN: Well, it was getting too long, so I decided to end it, and that seemed like a good place. Sorry if this chapter is boring, the next one's gonna be a lot better.

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related insignia, except for the insignia I created, belong to their respective owners. Please, lawyers of Nintendo and associated companies, do not sue me; I am just having fun, am making no money, and besides, this is free advertising for you. Thanks.

Message to American Nintendo people (the Japanese Nintendo people are not at fault here): Oh yeah, you Nintendo guys need to fix your cute widdle folders, particularly the one with the Grass Starters and evolutions. It says Bulbasaur and evo's are Grass types, when they're Grass/Poison types. 

Claimer: Myself, and anything I've created, belong to me and me alone. To use them, you must meet three requirements:

1: You ask my permission. (yakkety@hotmail.com)

2: You give me credit.

3: You don't make money off of it. (Well, the Nintendo guys can, if they give me a cut of it. 8-P)

Thanks, guys! Bye! *wave wave*


	5. Chapter Five

An Overactive Imagination

By Arizima

Chapter Five

            AN: Okay, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for, yes, it's the start of the journey! *trumpet fanfare* Heh, sorry.

            Normal words  Narrative (It's all in Past Tense though)

            "Quotes"          Speech

            Carrots        Narrative Thought (Yes, the main character thinks in English. Most of the time.)

            For once in this crazy world, I was up with the sun; At least it wasn't much different from the real world. I sat down on a chair next to my bed, once I had gotten my glasses on, to watch it. After about thirty minutes, I felt that the most pretty part of the sunrise was over. I grabbed up my clothes and went to the bathroom to perform my morning grooming duties, then headed out to the living room. 

" Well, you're up early," Professor Cypress said, glancing over at me and smiling.

" Yeah. When do the other trainers come over to get their Pokémon and stuff?" I asked.

" Well, it officially starts at eight o'clock, but half of them are going to be late anyway. It's…." she glanced at her watch. " Seven thirty right now. Say, can you help me with getting them all to the right place? Usually, Golduck helps, but with you here, I want to give him a break this year."

" Sure. After all, back where I come from, I'm known for cryin' out 'Can I help? Can I help?' Of course, they all found it annoying…." I said, grumbling out the last sentence. Professor Cypress laughed.

" Good. Well, all you have to do once you've had breakfast is go downstairs and stay near the elevator door, and usher them all in the doorway on their first left. Got that?" I nodded and began to eat my breakfast at a break-neck speed. Okay, not quite break-neck, but pretty fast. I hopped up from the table and went over to grab my backpack from my room, then headed out for the elevator. I pushed the down button and settled my backpack on my back with one hand while holding on to the handrail with the other. The doors slid open soon after I was settled, and I stepped out. I saw the door I was supposed to be doing immediately, and decided to check in there. It was about the size of my school cafeteria, with a raised stand part, some tables and chairs scatted about. On the wall above the raised portion, there was this long dispenser thing separated into three rectangular tubes stuck together in a row. The one on the left was colored green, the one in the middle was red, and the one on the right was blue. There was a large box sitting on a desk up on the raised area, too. I sighed, dragged a chair outside the room, and sat down. Suddenly, the elevator doors closed, and it started moving up. I stared at it and wondered what happened, then I realized that I was trapped down here! Oh, wait…. There was an "up" button over by where the doorway was. But still, anyone could go under the elevator and get squished. Suddenly, it came into a view again, and all I could see was a pink pair of… boot things. Soon the pink boot things became an entire girl. She had elbow length blonde hair, which was only a bit longer than mine, pulled back into a ponytail with a blue scrunchie. She had a white sleeveless shirt and a pair of those jeans that stop just above your ankle. The doors opened, and she got out, staring at me.

" Who are you? The coat check? Sorry, I don't have a coat." I glared at her.

" No, I am NOT the coat check. I'm gonna be a trainer, just like you. I'm helpin' out Professor Cypress by directin' your personhood inta this lovely doorway." She scowled at the sound of my voice, and I knew why. " If ya don't like my accent, ya don't have ta talk to me, okay? Just get yourself in this doorway." She scowled at me again, but stepped through. The elevator moved up; when it came down again, it was carrying a black-haired guy, a guy with dark green hair (I'm getting used to weird natural hair colors by now) and a brown-haired girl. They nodded at me kindly when I jabbed my thumb at the door.

Ah, there we go. Don't open your mouth and they'll like you. But that blonde girl talked to me first…. And so it repeated, the elevator going up, and coming back down with passengers. Eventually, Professor Cypress came down with a tiny red-headed girl about ten years old, and a big, burly late-teenage guy who looked like he was twice my weight. I looked him up and down; wide shoulders, small, hard head, tanned skin, dark auburn hair like mine, blue eyes. I didn't like the looks of him. Professor Cypress ushered the boy and girl in and nodded at me. I dragged my chair back in, and let the door close. Professor Cypress walked up to the raised stand portion of the room.

" Well, I'm sure everyone's eager to get started, so I won't call role, just do a head count. Is that alright with everyone?" There were murmurs of  "yes" and "yeah" and affirmative nods throughout that small mass of humanity that I was carefully keeping out of.

            " One, two, three, four…." Professor Cypress counted us, and nodded. " All eighteen are here, good. Well, the people who have gotten the highest score on the test will get their Pokémon and essential gear first. Chrissy *****!" I headed up to the stand.

            " Well, Chrissy, Burkey, Voilaef, or Otta?" she asked.

            " I think I'll take Burkey." Professor Cypress nodded and took the bottom Pokéball out of the red tube, and another one slid down to replace it. She handed me two shiny, plastic cards, five minimized Pokéballs, and a blue Pokédex. Then, I looked out and everyone was looking at me expectantly.

            " Bow," Professor Cypress whispered. 

            " Oh, right," I whispered back. I gave her a brief bow from my waist and looked out at the crowd of trainers again; everyone seemed satisfied. I left the stage.

            " Jeri Tekeran!" The blonde girl from before went up to the stage and chose an Otta. 

            Tekeran? That's a weird name.

            " Eric Archer!" A boy went up, and the process continued on, until Professor Cypress called out,

            " Lynn Beyrly!"

            Hey, he's related to my former best friend! Wait, no, they're not pronounced the same, so they're probably not spelled the same. Lynn Beyrly turned out to be the teenage guy older than me.

            " I'll take Burkey, Professor," he said gruffly.

            " I'm sorry, Mr. Beyrly, but there are no Burkey left." A vein seemed to pop out of Lynn's forehead. You know those little red cross that anime people get when they're mad? Lynn had one of those.

            " Fine, I'll take Otta!" he practically shouted.

            " Alright, no need to yell, Mr. Byerly, here is your Otta." She handed him a Pokéball and the other stuff, and he set down off the stage, not even bowing. Half the crowd around me glared at him.

            " How dare he break with tradition!" I heard a voice behind me say.

            " Not only is he a jerk to us, but to Professor Cypress, too!"

            " That disrespectful bully!"

            " Before you leave, unfortunately, you must sign a short contract. It's basically saying that you won't sue for damages that another person's Pokémon does to your Pokémon, or damages that they do to you, because they're not accounted for that." She handed out pieces of paper and pens, and most of the kids around me just signed without thinking. I, however, read it over carefully. Well, it seemed okay. I signed my name and handed it back to Professor Cypress. Once she had them all, she put them back in the box where they had come from.

            " Good; if you hadn't signed them, your licenses would have been suspended until you had. Well, I think that's everything of importance. You may go now, but remember that…." I kind of zoned out at that point, and I was only dimly aware of her speech and people leaving around me.

            " Well, would you look at that. They left during my speech. How rude." She said, sounding slightly miffed. " Well, come on, you still need to get out there." I nodded, and we headed out to the elevator together. Eventually, when we got up to the top, Professor Cypress led me to the front hall.

            " Well, this is where I leave you. I wish you luck."

            " Thanks," I said before heading out. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a bunch of trainers and their starting Pokémon, talking and chatting and even a few battling. The Voilaef were kind of like a cross between badgers and dogs, with green fur and tall stalk things coming out of their ears and ending in spade-like shapes, covered in lots of tiny barbs. There were vine buds on their shoulder blades, and two vine buds became a sort of necklace, which there were a few single leaf on the front of its throat. The Otta were a lot simpler; they were simply a blue, cute otter with no back legs. I was excited, to say the least. Here, all these Pokémon I doodled on notebook paper, labeled, and colored, they were living, breathing creatures! I didn't bother to look around at the Burkey; I would look at my own. I got my Pokéball out of my chest pocket, and then the words came to me naturally— " Burkey, go!" 

A beam of white light shot out of the orange-colored button and materialized into a monkey with red fur all over its body, except for its face which was about the tone of a tanned Caucasion person. It had mouse-like ears, and a single orange stripe across its shoulders. The tip of its prehensile tail was orange, and its hands and feet were more like paws, and were colored red, too. Its belly, however, was yellow. Over all, it was about a foot and a half tall.

            " Burkey bur bur?" It said, looking around confusedly. 

Wow! I can't believe I get to do this! Those were the only English words I could get out of my garbled thought. I kneeled down to Burkey and offered it my hand.

" Hiya Burkey! I'm your trainer!" I said, not knowing what else to say. It looked up at me, grabbed my hand with its tiny paw, and sniffed it. Its face broke into a wide smile.

" Burkey bur, burkey key bur bur!" It said excitedly. Well, I had a few questions to ask my Burkey. 

" Hey, Burkey, do ya understand English?" Burkey nodded. " Okay, are ya a boy or a girl? Hold up your left paw for boy, right paw for girl," I instructed. Burkey pondered for a moment, then held up its left paw. Okay, boy. " Wouldja like a nickname?" Burkey nodded again, and I became lost in thought. What to name him, what to name him…. Ah ha!

" How about Keahi?" 

" Bur burkey!" he said happily. 

" Ya like that name, huh? Okay, just a few more questions. Wouldja like it if I keptcha out a'* your Pokéball?" I had a theory that a Pokémon becomes more powerful if it's kept out of its Pokéball whenever possible. 

" Burkey!" Keahi said with another affirmative nod.

" Okay, last question…. What attacks do you know?" I would normally know what attacks he had, but I was so happy at the moment that I had forgotten. Keahi put his paw on his chin in thought, then smiled. He scratched in the air with his tiny, cat-like claws, then ran up to sit on my lap and glared at me.

" BUR!"

" Scratch and Leer, huh?" I asked, affectionately scratching his head. 

" Bur," he said happily. I pulled out my Pokédex—I wanted to see what it had to say.

" Burkey, the Fire Monkey Pokémon. Burkey is very playful, and sometimes accidentally starts brush or forest fires in its playing. They are usually very friendly and loyal to their trainers."

" That's all you're gonna tell me? Stupid Pokédex." I stuffed it back in my pocket, but there was still one nagging feeling at the back of my mind, that I had forgotten something. What was it? I looked down at Keahi, whose name had been Burkey just moments before. Oh yeah, that's it!

" Oh yeah, Keahi, my name is Chrissy. Can you say 'Chrissy'?"

" Key burkey!" Keahi cried happily. I laughed. This was like the ultimate sugar high, only better. I was a very happy person.

" Close enough. Let's go." I stood up, and Keahi climbed on top of my backpack, wrapping his tail around my shoulder. This was great! I reached back with my other arm to scratch him on the head again, then set out for Futir.

AN: Heh, sorry, it was getting long enough. Not as long as the past chapter, but longer than normal. Hope you liked it…. I cannot think of anything else to say, sorry.

* a' is "of" in North-Eastern Texan, at least in my experience. It is pronounced "ahw", as in "box a' water bottles." Just clearing up any confusion to what that word was, lol.

Disclaimer: Pokémon and all related insignia, except for the insignia I created, belong to their respective owners. Please, Nintendo and associated company people, do not sue me, for I am just having fun, and am not making any money. In fact, I am providing you with free advertising. Thank you ever so much for not putting my family in deeper financial trouble.

AN: Whoa, don't I sound just like little orphan Annie now? Yes, I'm lower-middle class, and the main source of our financial income is laid off right now, so… yeah. ~_~;;;

Claimer: Myself, and anything I created, belong to me and me alone. To use them, you must meet three requirements:

1: You ask my permission. (yakkety@hotmail.com)

2: You give me credit.

3: You make no money off of it. (Unless you're the Nintendo people, but then you have to give me a cut, hear? Lol   

:-P)

            I think that's it. See y'all! Bye! *waves until you either push the review button or close the window*


End file.
